Because I knew you
by DiamondDragon26
Summary: Just a quick take on the friendship between Clark and Lex and how it evolved them into the people they are today. I was greatly inspired by the play Wicked while writing this fic. More details inside! Lots of fluff and feelings.
**This was an idea that just wouldn't go away. I am currently on season 7 of Smallville, but I know the bits and pieces as to what will happen in the series. I'm sorry if it is not perfect and follows the show exactly, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless! My main focus was on the friendship between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, and how both men have become different people because of each other. This is for entertainment purposes only. I am going to continue watching Smallville now, and I am prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that males this masterpiece of a television series. Let me know what you think of this short story!**

Lex Luthor sat utterly alone in his favorite room of the mansion. He poured himself a drink to remember all of those who had died because of him and his mistakes. He even poured a glass for his father – who had been too ashamed to call him son, but proud to take another man as his own. However, he could not hate the boy. He wanted to be him. He wanted to have the loving relationship Clark once had when his father was alive and his mother lived in Kansas. He wanted to know what it must have been like to be loved and adored by all your peers. It was something he never got the chance to experience, and something that he would never get the chance to feel. He would always remember the sensation of his mother brushing her hand against his cheek, and engulfing him in her arms. He looked forward to seeing Lillian every night in his dreams, and for him that was enough to get him through the day. He wondered what Martha Kent's hugs felt like. He remembered how her face glowed in the evening sun, and how the farm house would always smell like bake goods or something savory and delicious, but all of that was gone. His whole life was gone.

He imagined if his life would have been any better if his father had taught him to respect himself and those around him. He wondered if he would have been a better man if his mother was still here by his side. Lex even thought what his life might have been like if he were really close with his classmates, and maybe they would go out for a drink every other Friday like normal friends do. He knew that it was immature to blame other people for the way your own life turned out, but he couldn't help it. He would get professional help if he was not in hiding. This boy did not live in Smallville anymore. This boy had a new name, and a new identity. Lex Luthor had died, and the man had planned on keeping him buried in his memories. But then he thought about Clark. He was married to Lois Lane now, and he was happier than he ever could be. He would not impose on that, and he would not force himself into their newly wed happiness. Lex Luthor was dead. Lex Luthor was gone. Because he know Clark, he had been changed forever.

Clark Kent woke up on a Sunday morning to look at the sleeping face of his beautiful wife. He held her hand in his. He had a dream last night. He dreamt of a boy he never met, and one that he would never know. This boy was crying, alone, and scared. He did not know him then, but he did know him now. He used to know him. As much as he tried to forget and push him out of his new life, he would always know him. He prayed for his happiness, and he prayed for his redemption. Clark would always lie if anyone asked, but he would always regret never saving Lex Luthor. The man who was once Lex Luthor. His friend, his brother, his neighbor. It never did take long to run to his house. The man he learned to play pool from, the one who taught him to drink – by the way, that was their little secret. He kissed Lois on the nose, who still refused to bat a lash. She groaned and tossed over in a deep sleep. The light poured in from the window. Clark scrunched his face in annoyance and decided that he might as well start the day.

Every now and then, the spirit of his father would smile down on him in approval. The father wishing to pat him on the back, and his mother wishing to kiss his cheeks from far, far away. Even though they were never his birth parents, they never loved him any less. To them, he would always be their baby boy. 'This is where Lex fixed my tie the night of one of my high school formals. And I remember fixing his right before his marriage with Helen. There is the shed where he used to pile hay, the time his father briefly disowned him.' It was nice for the farm boy to call someone a brother. He taught him things, and the younger boy would smile being able to tach him something in return. He told Clark he learned the value of family relationships. Maybe one day he'll put them to use, where ever he may be. Superman knew that Lex Luthor wasn't dead, but he will be ready for him. Whether it's the easy way or the hard way. Because he knew Lex, he had been changed forever.

" _You and I, we will both be great men, because of each other. We have a destiny together, Clark. Only on different sides." "And I'll always be there to stop you. Always." "Oh, I'm counting on it."_


End file.
